A scenic stretch of the A30 has been identified as one of the most haunted places in Britain.

Experts believe part of the road which begins in Cornwall and snakes through Devon before heading east into Somerset is the nation's most haunted highway.

An eight-mile stretch between Chard and Crewkerne has been the scene of numerous reports of spooky goings on dating back 400 years, report Devon Live.

The reports include a constant series of sightings around Windwhistle Hill of "strange, unusual and eerie lights, sounds, figures and shapes''.

Gloria Dixon of the British UFO Research Association says the Somerset road is linked to years of spooky tales. She says the the scary sightings on the mysterious hill are connected with the area's history of highwaymen, smugglers and witches.

BUFORA researchers have investigated the stretch of A30 road connecting Crewkerne and Chard and have found "mystical" reports dating back to 1662. Gloria wrote on the BUFORA website: "Reports of strange visions and incidents have continued to date.

"According to the literature, during the seventeenth and eighteenth century, Windwhistle [Hill] had a history of highwaymen and smugglers in this area. The A30 used to be a coaching route from London to the West Country and highwaymen could hide in the beech trees waiting for the carriages with their cargoes of valuables.

"It has been suggested that the Windwhistle Inn near the summit was the central point for these highwaymen. They would use the wells and caves all around the area to hide their treasures and also the bodies of those they had robbed.

"The story goes that some skeletons have been discovered in these hideouts.''

Mrs Dixon's research focuses particularly on two separate experiences encountered by a local mother, Kate Walker, when she was travelling between Yeovil and Chard with her family.

"As they came to the top of the hill Kate and her family all observed a huge orange light diffused by cloud, to their left-hand side and at the far end of Windwhistle Hill," wrote Mrs Dixon.

"It seemed to be right beside the road, not very high up, and partially obscured by cloud, but they did not feel any alarm as there was a power station and pylons further along. However, as they drove nearer to the light, it was easier to observe and Kate states it was massive and totally static and very low and bright.

"She describes it as being cigar shaped and vast in size, maybe 200-300 feet, and she estimates the light to be approximately 800-1000 feet above them. As they got closer she noticed that the pub on the right hand side of the road, The Windwhistle Inn, was almost in total darkness, except for a light in a small upstairs window."

Mrs Dixon writes that Kate looked up again at the light, which by that time was almost on top of the family.

It is then said that Mrs Walker "lost" around half an hour, a space of time that was unaccounted for in her memory. And just a few days after the "puzzling incident", the family encountered another altogether more chilling experience in virtually the same spot.

They are said to have seen two people in front of them, on the left hand verge, with one appearing to be lying down, and the other standing.

She wrote: "Their initial thoughts were that someone had been injured and went to slow down. But to their astonishment, the person standing took one step out in front of them, with one foot remaining on the grass verge at the roadside, while the other was right over the centre of the road.

Read More

"Kate described the figure as being abnormally tall with legs that were horrendously long and thin. Her husband swerved to the far side of the road, around the figure, and they kept on driving and did not look back.

"They all agreed that there was no one who could possibly have legs that long."

Mrs Dixon also notes that, in a book on East Somerset, Alan Holt comments that Windwhistle Hill - named for the winds whistling through its tall treetops - is haunted by a witch. Holt alleges that the woman was knocked down by a stage coach many years ago.

A number of further reports from the archives of the Yeovil Weekly News tell of other strange incidents experienced over the years.

One witness reports that in 1991 she, her husband and her grandson perceived a tall strange figure looking through their farm window.

This was followed a few days later by their observations of a 'saucer-shaped object'.

Another witness tells how he was driving a lorry on Windwhistle Hill in 1976 or 1977, when he claims his lorry went out of control as though by some "strange force".

Read More

And a final witness tells how she and her husband observed a very large unidentified object, silver and shaped like a humming top, near Windwhistle Hill in November 1959.

They watched it as though 'hypnotised' from about 11pm to 9am the next day and for some reason felt unable to tell anyone.

Mrs Dixon writes: "It appears that there is a history of odd occurrences in this area. Certainly Windwhistle Hill is steeped in the traditional folklore of strange lights, visions and figures with ghostly highwaymen and galloping horses. It's tantalising stuff."